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| Constantine's Appeal to the Bishops, requesting them to confer upon him the Rite of Baptism.
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Chapter LXII.—Constantine’s Appeal to the Bishops,
requesting them to confer upon him the Rite of Baptism.
“The time is arrived which I have long hoped for, with an
earnest desire and prayer that I might obtain the salvation of God. The
hour is come in which I too may have the blessing of that seal which
confers immortality; the hour in which I may receive the seal of
salvation. I had thought to do this in the waters of the river Jordan,
wherein our Saviour, for our example, is recorded to have been
baptized: but God, who knows what is expedient for us, is pleased that
I should receive this blessing here. Be it so, then, without delay:3359
| 3359 Or “no hesitation.” On this clause a deal of
controversy has hinged. “No hesitation shall longer
prevail” is the rendering of Molz., and Keim (Uebertritt
C. p. 1) similarly gives “let all duplicity be banished.”
In the view of this translation, Constantine had been hedging all his
life, trying to be Christian to Christians and heathen to heathen. The
basis of the hypothesis is too slight for it to have any weight in view
of the overwhelming documentary evidence of the frequent public
professions of Christianity by Constantine, for which see Prolegomena,
under Character. Discussion of various points relating to his
baptism will be found under Literature, under the names
Busæus, Castelli, Dalhus, Frimelius Fuhrmann, Guidi, Halloix,
Hynitzsch, Jacobus of Sarug, Nicolai, Polus, Schelstrate, Scultetus,
Tentzel, Walther, Withof. | for should it be his will who is Lord
of life and death, that my existence here should be prolonged, and
should I be destined henceforth to associate with the people of God,
and unite with them in prayer as a member of his Church, I will
prescribe to myself from this time such a course of life as befits his
service.” After he had thus spoken, the prelates performed the
sacred ceremonies in the usual manner, and, having given him the
necessary instructions, made him a partaker of the mystic ordinance.
Thus was Constantine the first of all sovereigns who was regenerated
and perfected in a church dedicated to the martyrs of Christ; thus
gifted with the Divine seal of baptism, he rejoiced in spirit, was
renewed, and filled with heavenly light: his soul was gladdened by
reason of the fervency of his faith, and astonished at the
manifestation of the power of God. At the conclusion of the ceremony he
arrayed himself in shining imperial vestments, brilliant as the
light,3360
| 3360 [It was customary for neophytes to wear white garments, which they
laid aside on the eighth day from their
baptism.—Bag.] | and reclined on a couch of the
purest white, refusing to clothe himself with the purple any
more.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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